


Check the Tapes

by Groinboiler, Sladeckta



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), Keith's a trainwreck, Lance still loves him, M/M, the occasional icebreaker prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-17 23:28:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17569961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Groinboiler/pseuds/Groinboiler, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sladeckta/pseuds/Sladeckta
Summary: Keith has a hard outer shell, a bike, and an unhealthy relationship with his ex. Lance has a big family, a kind heart, and a flirtatious front that initially pushes Keith away. The relationship starts easily enough, but Keith's ex Shiro very quickly drives a wedge between them. Shiro also has a dark secret that threatens to wreck everything Keith's ever known. In order to save their relationship, Keith needs to learn what his ex is hiding from him.





	1. The One Where Keith Meets Lance

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, welcome to my first (actual) fic. The others failed, don't go looking for them. I am super excited to share my writing for once, and I have especially big plans and dreams for this one.  
> One thing that is unique about this fic is that I am writing journal prompts for each chapter that are about Keith's struggles with his mental illness and the struggles of his personal relationships with the two most important people in his life.
> 
> If you want to follow my updates, please find me on Twitter @groinboiler and instagram under the same name. Yeah, I'm real creative. Also I do not have a tumblr anymore, because someone stole it after I deleted it with the December 17th fiasco.
> 
> I look forward to bringing you more chapters on a semi-regular basis, and I have already started planning and structuring a second fanfic. Thanks for reading!

Shiro worked at his desk in his office area, which was also the dining room of his and Keith’s one bedroom apartment, when his cell phone began ringing. He finished his sentence in his report before picking up the phone, answering it.

“Keith, aren’t you at work?” He asked, concern in his voice. Especially since it sounded like the call was routed through his helmet. So he was riding his bike.

Keith breathed a shuddery sigh, and Shiro knew things were bad. “I can’t--I can’t deal with that place, Shiro. I want to come home.”

“You’re already on your way home, so I’m guessing you already left work to come talk to me.” Shiro concluded, wondering how Keith managed to keep his job.

“Yeah, I left. Is that a fucking problem too?” Keith growled into the microphone, obviously really frustrated. “It’s always a fucking problem to you, isn’t it? I’m sick of that, sick of everything.”

Shiro hesitated before responding. Something must have happened to him at work, maybe overstimulation? He did have a kind of demanding job when it came to the sounds and lights and kids screaming. He was still trying to figure out what to say, and the moment was slipping. “How about you meet me at the Korean BBQ place you like so much? We can talk there over lunch.”

Keith considered that while he changed lanes. “Negative, meet me at the chinese place that just opened by the apartment. I’m almost home anyways, and I don’t want to drag you across town to that place.” He glanced down at his gas gauge as well. “I also don’t have the gas to make it there, so I don’t think we should go there.” It was also fucking expensive.

“Then I’ll meet you there in five minutes.” Shiro said, putting his report in the filing cabinet before pulling on his coat and grabbing his keys.

“Sounds great, see you there.” Keith answered as he disconnected the call, taking his turn and heading for the place he had determined.

 

Keith sat at the restaurant, across from Shiro, waiting for their food to arrive. It was eerily quiet, save for the sounds of food cooking and people calling orders out to each other. It definitely wasn’t the usual places that they went to, kind of a hole in the wall place, with yellow walls and weird tables that were standard issue it seemed for cheap chinese restaurants. It didn't help Keith settle down whatsoever. Shiro knew this, he was just waiting until Keith had calmed down. He wasn't calming down, though.

“So, we can talk about this, or we can talk about something else. What's the choice today?” Shiro inquired. He wasn't Keith's therapist, technically, but he was a trained psychiatrist, and honestly his grounding techniques were really helpful.

Keith shifted uncomfortably in his chair, mulling those choices over. It was too raw to talk about currently, so he took a breath.

“Let's do a prompt.”

 

Shiro nodded slowly, taking a drink from his bottle of pop. “Okay then. Prompt time. What is your favorite way to spend the day?” He inquired as he stared at Keith, his expression schooled to be impassive. He was Keith’s journal, and he did a really great job of it.

“That's a dumb prompt.” Keith commented, his expression incredulous.

“Try it. Humor me, okay? This is just a grounding exercise. If we need to do anything else, we'll go from here onto the next thing. Just remember that you chose this.” Shiro's voice wasn't condescending, or accusing, just a nudge.

Keith nodded. He didn't need reminding that he chose this, but he understood. “Okay. My perfect day, if it were perfect ever, would be to write. I enjoy writing, and I think I have a talent for it, but honestly it's hard for me to share it with anyone, so it's hard to know whether or not I'm any good at it.”

Shiro nodded. “You're completely valid for feeling that way. Maybe you should find someone you trust, to share your writing with. Someone who will tell you how you're doing and help you build on the skills you already have.”

“You're right. I also- I get in these moods where I want to just lay in bed and talk to people. It's helpful.”

“Talk about what? Is there anything you enjoy talking about?” Shiro pried.

Keith hesitated as their food was set down in front of them. It was too hot to eat now anyways, so no loss. “Sometimes I like to talk about unrelated topics. Things that don't matter. Other times, I like to talk about what's on my mind, and analyze myself with some feedback. But I fucking hate advice. That's so fucking annoying.”

Shiro laughed softly. “Do you hate the advice I give too?”

“No. Your advice is usually pretty helpful, actually. It's just, advice other people give me… it's like they don't even know me. They only care about what helps them, and then when you say they don't understand, they get huffy and say they do, that they completely understand what I'm going through.” Keith breathed in, deeply, hesitating again. “It hurts when they do that. I feel like I'm somehow invalidated by other people's experiences.”

“They're trying to help, but maybe they feel like everyone should fit in their mold, or they're confused about what you want. Have you tried telling people what you need from them?” Shiro's impassive expression was starting to slip.

“I've tried till I'm blue in the fucking face, Shiro. No one listens.”

“No one?”

Keith frowned a bit, mulling it over. “Well, you listen to me. You let me make choices, and set boundaries. You let me feel like someone's listening to me, and you do comfort me if I need it. It always feels like you know exactly how to help me.”

“I'm happy you feel that way.” Shiro's lips quirked into a half smile. His passive expression was faltering for sure now. “Keep talking about your perfect day.”

Keith thought more, wondering how this morphed from being something simple, to something more complex. How did Shiro always make that happen?

“I guess I would like to watch a movie, or read a book… I enjoy work, but sometimes it's hard.”

“What makes work hard for you?” Shiro interjected.

“I don't know. Sometimes the machines break, or someone gets upset that they didn’t win something...” Keith was starting to feel like Shiro was making him think too hard.

He must have read the expression on his face, because he started eating instead of responding. “If you're not wanting to talk about this, we don't have to. I just want you to communicate with me, so I can understand you better.”

“I get that. I'm not getting frustrated with you, I just really don't know if I'm feeling okay.”

“How do you feel, then?” Shiro offered a way to talk it out, straying away from the prompt a bit.

Keith ate a bite. The Chinese food was decent, but nothing like the Korean BBQ place they usually frequented, but Keith had insisted they find a cheaper alternative.

“I feel… numb. From head to toe. I could barely feel anything while I was on my bike, and I went about 20 over the speed limit the whole way here, or just flowed with traffic.”

“Keith, do you feel like you would want to hurt yourself that way?” Shiro questioned, clearly wanting to make sure he was safe.

Keith frowned at his food a bit. “I'm not… suicidal, it that's what you're trying to figure out.”

“Self harm doesn't have to end in suicide. If you aren't careful about it, it could lead into the loss of your life. I'm trying to ensure that you're safe.”

“I’m safe, Shiro. Honest.” He answered. “Sometimes I just am a bit reckless. That doesn't mean I’m harming myself.”

“Do you wish to harm the people around you?” Shiro stepped carefully with this question.

“No. No I don't, I… I just want to… okay, so you’re right, it is a form of self harm. Happy?”

“No, that does not make me happy.” He responded, giving him an unreadable expression.

“Well, that sucks for you.” Keith said, not touching his food anymore. The sauce was a little too sweet for him right then. “I'm not hurting anyone by going a little faster.”

“Twenty over is ‘a little faster’ to you?” Shiro raised a brow.

“Okay, like five to ten over most of the time. Unless I’m on the interstate. Then it's more.” Keith relented. “It's acceptable to go fast on the interstate, though.”

Shiro couldn't argue that.

“So, let's try something. I think the exercise calmed you down a bit, but tell me what's around you.”

Keith stared at his food. “This sesame chicken is way too sweet. The lady yelling in a language I don't understand kind of freaks me out, but go figure. That's everywhere I go. The sun is out today, and it feels warm. It's also really fucking bright out. There's a lot of cars in the parking lot. I guess this is a busy shopping center, but all the stores are shit.”

Shiro nodded slowly. “So you don’t like the food you picked, huh?” He had a soft smile on his face.

“I just wanted to find something cheaper that we both liked.” Keith reasoned with himself, mostly.

“But neither of us liked it, so what's the point?” Shiro said. Keith noticed he too wasn't touching much of his food.

“I guess it was a bad choice. I'm sorry, I thought… I just wanted… I didn't want to be a burden to you--”

“Keith, you're never a burden to me. You don't have to apologize for that.” He interrupted. “You wanted help, you asked for it. I'll help you, for as long as you let me.” He reached out and patted his hand. “Don't worry about me. I’m fine.”

“I just feel bad focusing on myself.” He stared at his food, untouched and getting colder by the minute. Was he really even that hungry? He was starting to get a gnawing, cramping feeling in his stomach. He hadn't eaten yet today, and it was like, noon, so he was probably hungry.

“We have other times to talk about me, about the both of us. This is about you right now. This is about you feeling better.”

Keith frowned a bit. Why did he still feel so bad? He already had Shiro's reassurance, but he still felt… kind of selfish. “I get it. I just feel like I want to contribute to your life, for wasting your time. And there's nothing I have to give. It's completely one sided.”

“I understand why you feel that way, but just being able to help is enough for me.” Shiro answered soothingly. God, his voice was so nice. Keith hated him for how he could always calm him down.

“Maybe you could try writing how you feel. I know you hate journals, but you like writing stories. About people not you. Why not substitute yourself for a character not you, but similar to you? That way it doesn't feel so bad to talk about.” Shiro offered. “You might find it easier to do that.”

Keith eyed him suspiciously. “I'll… I'll try it.”

“I hope you do.”

Shiro watched Keith leave and ended the recording he had been making, the device stowed away in his breast pocket. Somewhere Keith would have never guessed he was recording anything.

 

Keith was riding his bike across town, zipping through traffic and avoiding all the rush hour bullshit. He felt like the king of the road, but less boastful. He zipped by a bunch of cars and onto the sidewalk to park in front of his favorite place to get books and coffee. He didn't bring dates here, he didn't tell friends about it, and he certainly did not freely recommend it. He didn't like his quiet corners to be riddled with hipster bitches. Undoubtedly though, he was a hipster bitch himself. A huge one. And the kind that didn't like sharing his discoveries.

Least of all this one.

He went there at least 5 days a week, getting caffeine and reading books. If he found one he liked, he bought it, and he was starting to amass a huge collection. It was a small place, but it was cluttered with bookshelves and places to sit down and read, cheap leather chairs and tables to set books and coffee down on. They had a small area dedicated to a couple of baristas that made amazing drinks. They knew his order, but it wasn't all that hard to remember. He was a noteworthy person with a weird order, and it stuck with every barista basically the first time.

"Skim Milk Amaretto latte with extra espresso for Keith?" The girl behind the counter, a new girl, called out nervously.

They had definitely warned her about Keith.

"Thanks." He said as he approached the pickup counter. She stared at him with frightened eyes until he took the first sip, but he was hard to read. He noted that she looked pretty scared of him. "They definitely told you I suck blood if my caffeine isn't just right, huh?"

The girl relaxed visibly, shoulders drooping. "They told me you would chop my head off and drink from my carotid artery if it even tasted off. Making your drink perfect was my rite of passage." She said with a relieved smile.

"Carotid artery is the old blood that goes back to the heart to replenish oxygen and recycle the blood cells. I take blood straight from the heart." Keith said and walked away.

She laughed nervously, then doubled back. "Wait, what?"

He was already gone, sitting in a chair and picking up a discarded book from a pile on the small coffee table. Or at least he thought it was discarded. He started idly flipping through pages, reading different passages, until a guy came back and set a new book on the pile, and Keith realized all at once this was his buying pile, not his discard pile. "Oh, I'm sorry, just browsing your books. Did you happen to..." He lost his train of thought when he looked up and saw a beautiful man. His skin was tan, his hair was brown and looked like it would curl if any moisture got to it, and his eyes were a beautiful glass ocean blue. He was incredible. "... see another copy floating around?" He finished his sentence, unable to take his eyes away. Fuck, he was perfect. Fucking blessed, in every way.

Then he opened his fucking mouth.

"Uh, no. I didn't, but I'll let you read it first if you give me your number." He flashed his best bedroom eyes, setting his palm flat on the coffee table beside Keith, trying to look like he was Adonis rather than just blessed. He plucked the book from the top of the pile and slid it over to Keith, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Ugh. Fucking gross.

Keith narrowed his eyes at Lance, taking in how he smirked, how he held himself, calculating everything. A ladies man, but it was clearly self styled. It wasn't genuine. It was just a very simple ruse to make people blush and like him because it made them feel good.

Keith wasn't that stupid, and he certainly didn't need a fraudulent confidence boost.

"On second thought, keep the book." Keith said resolutely, standing up and striding purposefully to the polar opposite end of the small bookstore. He stopped in front of a random section and picked up a book, furiously reading it. The problem was, he was not absorbing exactly what he was reading, so when his heart quit pounding in his ears he finally read a passage in the book.

_His throbbing member pressed against her trembling bosom, using her like a--_

Keith snapped the book shut and shoved it back on the shelf, sidestepping quickly to another section of books and picking one out at random. His heart started hammering when he saw the stranger approach from his peripheral vision. Relax, Keith. He’s going to try again, but you’ll turn him down again, and he’ll eventually give up. He stared intently at his book.

Then he realized, he didn’t understand anything this book said.

What fucking language was this?

“So uhh, you got a test to study for or something? Or do you regularly peruse the Spanish dictionary in your free time?”

Keith glared at the strange man with animosity, slapping the book shut sharply and shoving it (gently) back where it came from. "Mind your fucking business." He said, barely containing the venom in his voice. "I don't want to ask you twice to leave me alone, and if I have to, I'm dragging you outside, kicking your ass, and leaving you there sobbing for your mom until she comes to collect her vapid ass offspring." Keith's tone was low, but as dangerous as a sharp knife.

"Are we clear?"

The man crinkled his nose a little, face flashing from bewilderment to offence back to bewilderment again. He breathed a laugh, hands rising in mock surrender.

“I was just going to suggest a Spanish book I enjoy, if you read it. But uh, looks like you don’t, seeing as how that was the Spanish dictionary.” The guy said, brow raised a bit as he examined Keith in a way that just screamed you’re a fucking moron.

Keith was starting to realize that he was wrong about this guy. That maybe he wasn’t a jerk, and he was just honestly trying to get to know him and didn’t know how to approach him. So sure, Keith was being an absolute dickhead, and he should apologize, because this guy was absolutely adorable. His freckles weren’t noticeable unless he was close to you, and it made his heart stutter a bit. He was goddamn attractive.

“Are you finished with your facade? Or are you going to keep pretending to be someone you’re not?” Keith inquired, giving him a bored stare, disregarding his own personal feelings. “If you are, I would very much like to get on the right footing, maybe take you up on the request for my phone number.”

The guy looked absolutely ecstatic. “Really? You’ll give me your number?”

“Don’t make me change my mind. I’m Keith, by the way. I’m here a lot.” Keith offered hesitantly.

“I know, I’ve been watching you for about a week, and I think I have your coffee order memorized. I’m Lance, avid reader and friend of fish life everywhere.” He had a really goofy smile on his face that he certainly thought made him look sexy, but Keith wanted to smack him again.

“So, you’ve been stalking me. That makes me feel loads better about giving you my number.”

Lance’s face fell, mouth open in shock. “No, no no! I wasn’t stalking you, really, I was just… I wanted to get to know you. I wanted to talk to you, but you always looked so involved in your books, so I was waiting for an opportunity to speak to you!”

Okay, that was kind of sweet, he couldn’t deny that. “Okay, so then you’ll stop being so weird if I let you get to know me?”

“Oh yeah, absolutely, I won’t let you down! I just really want to take you out sometime. Not necessarily a date, but like, something different. I really want to get to know you.” Lance seemed nervous.

Keith kind of felt bad about shutting him down so hard, but he was pretty fresh out of a long-term relationship with his current roommate, and things were complicated. As in, they shared a spacious one bedroom that was almost 100% funded by his ex, who also acted as his therapist sometimes. How that happened, Keith would never understand.

“Okay, then let’s go on a date. How about tomorrow around 11am, you take me ice skating. How does that sound? If you need to get ahold of me, I do have a way to contact me. It’s called a tumblr blog, and I mainly use that to communicate with scrubs like you.” He didn’t let up his attitude, lest Lance suddenly think he was a nice person. “My username is groinboiler. Have fun.” He said as he headed for the door, completely disregarding the possibility that Lance may want to talk more.

“Oh, oh. That’s a… wow, that’s a blog name. Anyways, uh, I’ll message you? Is that okay? Mine’s a shitty anime blog from when I was in high school.” He said, cheeks flushed at the audacity of the blog name.

“Sure, just hope you don’t get your blog flagged and deleted on December 17th.” He said as he reached the door, leaving the store.

 

He didn’t look back until he had reached his bike, and then he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Who just walked up to someone and asked them for their number?

Maybe it was just a different thing Lance did? Or maybe Keith had been out of the game for too long.

Regardless, he got on his bike and left the bookstore, heading home. Shiro was never going to believe that he, as headstrong and as much of a fucking jerk as he was, scored a date with an absolute fever dream. A date he had suggested himself. He needed a drink.

 

When Keith got home, he noticed he had a notification from a short time after he had left the bookstore. RoyalPrinceofBeehind had followed and messaged him. What a fucking nightmare. Was this a porn bot? No, it just looked like his personal account, much like Keith’s account was his main account. So, no bullshit with secondary accounts that looked better than the main accounts.

_RoyalPrinceofBeehind: Hey, Keith. How was your ride home?_

_Groinboiler: None of your business. Hope you enjoy aesthetic pictures of my ex and the occasional moodboard, you have made a big mistake._

_RoyalPrinceofBeehind: Ouch. I thought we were friends. Also, your ex is gorgeous, how am I supposed to compete with that?_

_RoyalPrinceofBeehind: Anyways, I hope to see you tomorrow._

Keith huffed and exited from the tumblr app without even responding. He would live without talking to him every minute of every day. Besides, it was dinner time, and Keith didn’t want to spend his time with his face buried in his phone.

Shiro wouldn’t be happy with him if he did.

 

Keith headed into the kitchen, where Shiro had just finished making them dinner. The whole apartment was that soft, eggshell white that places usually used, but it had random accent walls with cool blues, and backsplash in the kitchen. The appliances were the stainless steel type, that seemed to always have fingerprints on them. It helped remind Keith that this place wasn’t so clinical and perfect, that Shiro’s zen garden wasn’t perfect.

Keith seemed happy, which was a change from the last three weeks of them constantly bickering and the pair being in bad moods with each other. Shiro seemed to notice his change in mood and raised a brow at his ex, setting a plate in front of him.

“So, you met someone?” He asked. “You don’t look like you’ve eaten a lemon whole like you usually look.”

Keith gave Shiro a sour look. “You always said that was endearing.”

“It is, because it usually means you’re just being a brat, but this… this is different. You met someone new, and you’re trying not to tell me about it. Am I right?”

Shiro was way too spot on, and it really wasn’t fair.

He pouted a bit, ignoring Shiro before sighing and spearing some noodles. “Fine. I met a guy. He’s taking me ice skating tomorrow.” He admitted in a resigned way. “He’s really fake, but he seems like he might be a good guy to date? Dunno, if I hate him, I’ll just pick him up and throw him in a trash bin.”

Shiro chuckled at that, sitting down with his own plate. “You definitely could pick a fight with anyone, honestly. I can see you throwing just about anyone in a trash can, if you get determined enough.”

He stared at Keith calmly, taking in his current mood. “Are you doing any better than earlier when we did the prompt? You said you felt numb, and you were doing a lot of things that made me believe something had triggered some reckless behavior.”

Keith glanced up from his plate, trying not to think about the prompt earlier. “Me? Reckless behavior? Shiro, I would never.” He rolled his eyes, annoyed with the fact that he was acting like his therapist outside of business hours. Besides, he had chilled out after dealing with Lance.

“Good, I’m just making certain you’re safe.”

“Yeah, I’m safe alright. Safe from listening to your stupid voice.” Keith snorted with laughter.

Shiro was unamused.

“You should go to bed, then, since you have a big date tomorrow. Do you need me to accompany you?” He asked hesitantly. “I know strangers can be a pressure point for you, and I want to ensure your safety.”

 

Keith mulled that over. “Yeah, come with me, but like, fall back? Don’t approach.” He requested. “I know you used to be in the military, but I don’t need you scaring him away, if he is the real deal. I’m unconvinced, but he might be what I need right now.”

Shiro frowned a bit. “I was a medic, that doesn’t count towards anything.” He grumbled. “But yeah, I can scare him away if he becomes a problem, but I’ll fall back.” He answered as he poked at his food. “Just say the word, and I’ll kick his ass.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Keith said as he finished his food, going to rinse his plate and put it in the dishwasher. Shiro was so proud of his progress, it was clear, but Keith felt like everything was so monotonous. Every day went the same, just different problems. He needed something different, different from Shiro’s stifling lifestyle he’d set forth for him.

He needed excitement, and Lance could be the key to that.

He was hopeful, at least.


	2. The one where the date happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance have their date, and Lance meets the man he's going to constantly compete with for Keith's attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again so soon? Yes, and I have spent like 2 weeks writing this chapter, and I can't write chapter 3 this weekend, so there will be a small delay between this chapter and next.  
> Huge shoutout to my co-creator for editing and rewriting the blowjob scene, because who doesn't love a blowjob scene? Also, someone who is asexual has no business writing sex scenes, just fyi.  
> I have a playlist that you can find on spotify too, if you want to listen to what I listen to when I write. It's a hodge podge of songs that Sladeckta has recommended, and songs that remind me of our rps that we write. I will be posting it on twitter soon.
> 
> Also, all of these places in the rp are places you can find in my hometown.

It was time for Lance and Keith’s date, and where was Keith?

 

Not fucking there, that’s for sure.

 

He wasn’t ever intending to be late, he just… was running behind, and then he needed to grab some stuff, get gas, and try to look like he actually attempted to look somewhat human. By the time he got to the ice rink, it was 11:12 am. Not a good start, and Lance was looking around for Keith like a kicked puppy.

 

Maybe he wasn’t taking this seriously enough, if he was causing Lance discomfort.

 

He got off of the bike and stowed his helmet, backpack on his back, with what were probably one of his most prized possessions inside. Keith approached Lance and managed a scowl.

 

“Sorry I’m late, I didn’t intend to keep you waiting this long.” He insisted.

 

Lance beamed like a ray of absolute sunshine. His nose and cheeks were flushed red and Keith wondered how long he had been standing there waiting on him.

 

“Hey, it’s all good. You made it at least, and you didn’t stand me up, so we’re gold.” The brunette insisted. “I haven’t rented the skates yet, because I didn’t know your shoe size.”

 

Keith unshouldered his backpack, unzipping it carefully. “No need.”

 

“No need?” Lance asked, tilting his head (adorably) to give Keith a very confused look.

 

“Yeah, no need.” Keith pulled out a beautiful pair of skates, white with gleaming, silver blades, sharp enough to kill a man with. Keith’s personal skates.

 

That was the moment Lance knew he fucked up.

 

“You already… know how to skate, don’t you?” He asked hesitantly.

 

“Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that fact.” Keith smirked wickedly, approaching the ice rink that was seemingly haphazardly set up in the downtown square of their city. Lance, nicely, paid for their admission and his own skates, and they sat down on a nearby bench to put on them on together.

 

Shiro had always been big on Keith learning how to skate, so he had taken him a lot when they first started dating. Eventually it grew to just be something they did together. It was something they shared that was special, and Shiro had bought the skates for Keith’s birthday. 

 

Keith laced them carefully and removed the guards before they walked over to the rink and he took off across the ice, looking over his shoulder at his date.

 

Lance, predictably, wasn’t as skilled on ice as Keith was. He was completely tense from head to toe, barely moving at all. He fell behind Keith immediately, and he watched as Lance tried to take a few steps forward, only to immediately catch himself on the wall. Keith was already close to lapping him, a shit-eating smirk on his face.

 

Keith pulled up next to him, smirk still intact. “Did you really think you were going to teach me how to skate?”

 

Lance flushed a bit, which barely registered with the pink already on his tanned cheeks thanks to the fact that it was only 30 degrees outside. “Look, I thought… I honestly don’t know what I thought, but it wasn’t, you know,  _ this _ . When you suggested ice skating, I thought it was romantic… but this is not swimming, which I’m actually good at.”

 

“You don’t have to be ashamed. Not everyone is at an elite level.” Keith reached out with his leather-clad hand and took Lance’s in his own. “Come on, we’ll get you there.” 

 

He pulled the Cuban away from the wall and towards the outer edge of the rink, where there were still less people than the barricade itself. They slowly began skating, moving over the ice serenely. Keith guided him along with their arms linked together. Lance seemed to be getting is footing, finally.

 

“How are you not cold?” Lance inquired suddenly, gesturing to Keith’s outfit consisting of black jeans, a shirt, black leather moto jacket, and his fingerless gloves.

 

“I never said I wasn’t cold.” He answered. “I just don’t care, and my fingers aren’t going to fall off.”

 

Lance pouted a bit, the expression adorable. “I mean, frostbite is a thing, isn’t it? Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

 

Keith glanced at Lance hesitantly. “I’m sure I’ll be okay. It’s not cold enough for that to be an issue. It’s actually a decent day today, if we weren’t sitting on a slab of ice.”

 

He glanced around at the other people. Shiro should be here, too, right?

 

He spotted his ex, gliding on the ice with more grace than anyone else. Shiro was really beautiful on the ice, and it was everything Keith wished he was.

 

Perfect and uniform.

 

Keith squeezed Lance’s arm tighter in his, trying to get those thoughts out of his head before they consumed him. They circled around a few times while Lance got the hang of it, and then Keith loosened his grip until they were just joined by the hands. 

 

This was… nice, he had to admit. He didn’t have anything to teach Shiro, so having something that his date and him could do together was just nice.

 

They went a few more laps still before they let go of each other, Lance finally safe enough to be on his own while skating. He wasn’t stumbling anymore, and he was fluidly going with it. He was improving, and that was making this worth it to Keith. Maybe getting asked on a date by a complete stranger wasn’t that bad, after all. He glanced at Shiro when he made a round, and Lance took notice.

 

“Isn’t that the guy all over your tumblr blog?” He asked, keeping a carefully guarded totally-not-jealous expression.

 

“Yeah, that’s him.” Keith answered with a suffering sigh. “I had him come with, because I didn’t want to get kidnapped or something.” He said as he skated alongside Lance. “You’re kind of a stranger, after all.”

 

Lance nodded. “Totally understandable, you want to be safe, and you don’t know me as well as you know your ex.” He smiled hesitantly, almost insecure. “I wouldn’t feel safe if any of my exes showed up to my dates, because I think they would mostly be like the Seven Evil Exes, but who am I to judge your relationship?”

 

Keith nodded slowly. At least Lance was cool, honestly. He assumed that he wouldn’t be. “I mean, we all have evil exes. We don’t have to talk about them today, though.” He insisted. “We don’t know each other enough to really have to dig into it, but I’m sure they’ll come up eventually.”

 

Lance nodded slowly, turning his gaze back down to his feet. “Yeah, we’ll get into the deep shit eventually.”

 

They skated and small talked for about an hour, discovering their shared interests and the small things, nothing too serious. Keith was also beginning to see that Lance was actually a really neat guy, when he wasn’t being a vapid fake flirt. Shiro, meanwhile, danced around them and glided by, keeping an eye on Keith and his date. He was glad in a way that Shiro wasn’t jealous of them.

 

Then it came time when Lance’s feet were hurting, and it was clearly time to end their frosty journey here.

 

“Whoo, I’m beat.” Lance said as he collapsed on the bench and hunched over to untie his skates. “Are we… splitting ways here, or are we going to spend some more time together?”

 

Keith thought about that, wondering what he should do. “I think we should take some more time, because honestly… I’m having fun. I want to keep spending time with you, but you choose what we do next.” He insisted.

 

Keith felt himself turn a little pink when Lance’s face  _ lit up. _

 

“Oh, okay. Well, the bookstore we met at is right around the corner. Want to go there for the time being?” He offered, slipping his skates off and replacing them with his boots. “We could warm up, get coffee, and pour over our favorite books?”

 

Keith considered that proposition, a slow smile spreading across his face. “I would actually really, really like that.” He answered as he stowed his skates in his backpack and headed towards the sidewalk area, pausing to wait for Lance as he jogged to catch up.

 

They walked through the downtown area, taking in the sight of the railyard area around them, as it was called. Amtrak wasn’t too far away, just a couple of blocks down, and the square with the rink was filled with bars and eateries. They walked up a block, to the building with the bookstore in it. It was a beautiful afternoon, really, with snow glistening in the sun and it not being dreary like it had been. Things were really starting to get to Keith, a small smile developing on his face. Things would be okay.

 

They reached the bookstore and approached the counter for their coffees, Keith literally about to open his mouth and order his drink when Lance butted in.

 

“Skim milk amaretto latte with extra espresso, and a big fat caramel blended drink for me, please.” Lance said proudly, showing off that he had randomly (when had he done that?) memorized his drink order.

 

Keith felt that annoying buzz of paranoia that he sometimes got when things like this happened. A general feeling of being unsafe, that people were prying into his personal life. Like it had been with Shiro in the beginning, when Keith was all sharp edges and distrust. It had taken a lot for Keith to get past that, and here he was again. Dealing with crippling paranoia. Granted, it wasn’t crippling yet, but he was also really quick to throw out everything for the sake of a small comfort.

 

“... How did you know my drink order?” He asked semi-defensively when they leaned against the pick up counter. “Have you been stalking me?”

 

Lance glanced furtively at Keith before speaking. “I’ve… actually been trying to talk to you for about a week now. I didn’t think you’d ever come anywhere close to my orbit, but you did, and I’m very thankful, because now we had this nice date.”

 

Keith felt discomfort echo in his chest. Lance had been watching him for an entire week now? What had he been doing? What had he picked up on? What if Keith wasn’t actually safe here?

 

Woah, back up, calm down, it’s literally just a drink order and some books. Chill out, Keith.

 

He still couldn’t resist feeling the quiet discomfort inside of him, however, and it would probably fester.

 

Keith was snapped out of his reverie when he heard his name called, and it was the girl from the day before. “Woah, weren’t you two at each other’s throats yesterday? I thought we were going to have to kick you out!” She said, smiling at how bizarre it was that they were together.

 

“Oh, no, we just… sorted out our differences, and we decided we should give it a chance.” Keith said anxiously. This was all a bit too much. Maybe he shouldn’t have done this.  _ No, Keith, be strong for Lance. _

 

“Oh, well that’s good! I’m glad you were able to give love a chance!” She said enthusiastically. Clearly a hopeless romantic.

 

“Yeah, love. Anyways, see you later.” He said, swiftly walking away from the counter and towards the bookshelves that he normally delved into, which would be the fiction section. Lance followed gamely behind him, nursing his big, fat, load of Caramel Heart Attack.

 

“Should we exchange book titles to get an idea of what we like?” Keith offered, forcing his traitorous brain back. “I think it would be a good idea, just to get to know each other through writing and reading.”

 

“That sounds like an excellent idea, please start.” Lance requested, sipping his drink and leaning forward on his elbows on the table.

 

Shit. There were so many books, but which ones spoke to Keith the most? Should he pick sci-fi, mystery, murder mysteries, what? What was a book he would pick out?

 

He settled upon a book, wondering nervously if he should even be bothering. “ _ The Book Thief  _  by Markus Zusak is pretty good, honestly. Kind of long, but worth it.” He said as he picked over the shelves. “ _ Fahrenheit 451 _ by Ray Bradbury, of course.” He perused a little while longer.

 

“Those sound like they would be pretty good.” Lance admitted. “ _ Fahrenheit 451 _ is probably like, school book worthy, so I would definitely try to pick it up.” He said, grabbing the book and skimming over the summary. “My favorite book is  _ Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe _ by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. It’s basically how I discovered myself.” He said, tone wistful as he examined a book more closely. “I bet you would like to read it, it’s really good.”

 

Keith considered that carefully. “Yeah, I’ll just get a copy of it.” He started rooting around for it, trying to find it.

 

Lance seemed... nervous though. Anxious even. Finally he took Keith’s hand, and he reached into his messenger bag. “I want you to borrow my copy instead. I let my cousin borrow it for a bit, and she just gave it back to me.” He said shyly as he dug into his messenger bag and retrieved a book. He pressed it into Keith’s hand. “Read it, please?”

 

Keith turned the book over in his hands. It was well worn, well loved, and it made him slightly nervous that he would fuck it up. It was absolutely from his heart and soul.

 

“I’ll take good care of it.” Keith said softly as he put it in his backpack. “I’ll also read it, so you and I can talk about it.”

 

“Thank you, Keith.” Lance said, happy crinkles forming at the corners of his eyes.

 

Keith smiled back.

 

They spent the afternoon pouring over their favorite books and finding out about each other through their similar but also different tastes in reading materials. Their coffees got cold with how much they talked, and Keith honestly felt like he was getting something positive out of this. He felt safer than he had at first, and less anxious. Shiro was still nearby, but no longer playing helicopter parent. In fact, he was kind of texting like he was growing distant. Maybe he resented Keith trying to move on. Maybe Keith was just being paranoid, and reading too far into subtext.

 

They ended up spending a lot of the afternoon there, and eventually they got kind of hungry. Keith barely noticed until his stomach growled angrily at him, but Lance definitely noticed. He chuckled a bit and stood up from his seat on the leather chair. “We should probably have some dinner.” He said as he picked up his books. “I’m going to check out, and you should think of somewhere to eat.” He offered as he walked away, stack in hand.

 

Where the hell could they go to eat? Keith honestly wanted to drink, and he wanted good bar food, so he thought of a bar a ways away that was, yes, seedier, but he wanted their fries. He sent Shiro a quick text to let him know the plan before Lance popped back to his side.

 

“I have a plan, but how willing are you to ride on the back of a bike?” Keith inquired hesitantly. “I don’t know that you really want to, especially when you see my spare helmet.” He smirked a bit. “I also think it’s supposed to get cold tonight, so when I take you home, it might be a little chillier.” He said, examining Lance as he bundled up with his poofy winter coat, gloves, hat, and scarf that were clearly homemade. By who, Keith didn’t know.

 

“Oh, haha, don’t worry about me, I’ll be nice and warm if I cuddle up to you,” Lance insisted. “You might just have to defrost me.” He joked as he headed for the door, tossing his half finished coffee.

 

Keith followed suit, and they wandered towards the railyard, where Keith’s bike was parked in a motorcycle space. Keith grabbed a pink helmet, covered in My Little Pony stickers. “Again, my apologies for the helmet.” He smirked as he tossed it to Lance.

 

“Are you kidding me? MLP is my  _ shit _ and I will die for this helmet.” Lance’s face split into a goofy grin.

 

“Honestly, you might die  _ in _ that helmet.” Keith answered as he got on his bike and started it up. Lance clambered on the back and wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist. “Hang on tight.” He said as he pulled away.

 

Honestly, it had been a long time since he had ridden with a passenger. Things could get dicey, but he had a good handle on his bike and he knew how to ride it well enough and how to adjust for different conditions. They would be just fine.

 

They made it to the bar before it got dark, the December chill beginning to really set in as the sun sank lower in the sky. 

 

He couldn’t believe he had accidentally spent the whole day with Lance. How insane was that?

 

Keith parked in front of the bar, and he remembered all at once that he was known here- and not for good reasons. Oh well, so long as he didn’t get too crazy, he’d be fine. Right?

 

Maybe not.

 

They walked into the dark bar, a couple of regulars sitting around and taking in their drinks of choice. It was a stereotypical sports bar atmosphere, with a hint of grunge. Not the musical stylings of grunge, either. Filth. Pure filth.

 

Keith sat at the bartop with Lance, his eyes wandering across the selection of alcohol bottles in front of a dirty mirror. Honestly, Keith could only hope they didn’t catch some type of disease from this bar.

 

“What’ll you have?” The bartender shot off quickly, his face taunt. He had been around when Keith had last been there.

 

Oh right, last time.

 

“I’ll have a shot, something cinnamon. I like spice.” Keith said, not backing down from the staring contest he and the bartender were having, each of them daring the other to back down.

 

“Trust me, I know you like spice.” The bartender finally relented, glancing at Lance expectantly. “What will the fresh meat have?”

 

Lance frowned at being addressed in such a manner, but he pressed onward. “I’ll have a cinnamon toast crunch martini.” He said, open drink menu in his hand with specials. There was no such martini at this bar. Did this bartender even know how to make a martini?

 

The bartender looked slightly mystified, but went to work. Clearly he had something in mind for Lance. Keith was suddenly worried for his date.

 

They sat in silence while the bartender worked--very efficiently--on their respective drinks. It was something like the calm before a storm, in a way, and it made Keith very anxious. What if he was secretly poisoning them? Or worse, drugging them? What if he was going to--

 

“Whose tab am I putting this on?” The bartender asked as he set their drinks in front of them. He looked very nonplussed as he waited for them to scramble together some cash, or hand him a card.

 

“I got this.” Lance insisted, handing over a debit card with the nighttime cityscape on it. It was a very nice thing, and kind of a memorable card. The bartender found it suitable and withdrew to handle a couple of regulars.

 

“Want to look at the menu?” Keith offered, grabbing a stray menu a ways away and handing it over to Lance. “I’ll pay for the meal if you handle drinks.”

 

Lance made an incredulous expression at Keith, as if that was the dumbest thing he’d heard that day. “No, dude, I got it.” He insisted. “Just be nice and let me pay for our shit.”

 

Keith huffed and took his shot in lieu of a response. He recognized it as being the Tennessee Fire whiskey he had gotten absolutely  _ shitfaced  _ with on a previous weekend. Lance sipped his martini and made a noise that got Keith a little hot under the collar. “You gotta try this, it’s to  _ die  _ for.”

 

Keith was absolutely certain one, if not both of them, would be dead by 9 pm sharp, if drinks continued as they did now.

 

“I’ll take a sip.” He said as he reached for the dodgy martini glass that had seen better days. True to his word, he sipped at the drink, and it was honestly, very good. He tasted rumchata and fireball, along with some other alcohol. It seemed like a good time. He set it back in front of Lance and ordered another drink, this time something a little different, and somewhat fruity. A melonball sounded amazing right then, and to be honest, he could use an energy drink. Once the bartender turned his attention to Keith, he ordered it, and before he could begin a conversation with Lance, it was set in front of him.

 

Oh this was dangerous, he thought upon taking a drink. It didn’t taste like alcohol at all.

 

“Tequila shots?” Lance asked suddenly, smirking at Keith.

 

Oh, shit.

 

“Are you sure we should be having  _ tequila  _ this early in the night?” He inquired as he took another drink of his beverage. “I mean, I won’t say no, but I kind of want to make it to 7 without alcohol poisoning.”

 

Lance snorted softly. “We’ll make it, don’t you worry,  _ nene _ .”

 

Fuck, this was not going how Keith pictured things going. At this rate he was going to be trashed in the middle of a bar that was close to a lifetime ban on him. 

 

This was so dangerous and honestly? He was okay with it.

 

“Fuck it, tequila shots, then.”

 

The bartender rolled his eyes and got out the shot glasses, pouring them the cheap, gross tequila. He also got out their traditional training wheels, salt and lime wedges. He turned away to add it to their tab.

 

“So, we have spent a lot of time getting to know each other, and I was wondering if we could start playing something like 20 questions to get to know each other even better?” He inquired.

 

“How about… Truth or dare?” Keith offered something edgier, licking the skin between his thumb and his first knuckle to prep for his shot. He poured salt on the wet flesh, watching Lance do the same for the sake of not making Keith feel inadequate. “It’s a little riskier, but we can mostly pick truth.”

 

“Riskier, huh? I like it.” Lance grinned, picking up his shot glass. “Ready to start?” He asked just before licking the salt. Keith rushed to do the same, grabbing his shot glass as he licked the salt away. They each took their shots and slapped the glasses down upside-down on the bartop, reaching for their respective limes. Keith bit right into his, which earned a look of interest from Lance, but not a comment.

 

Keith placed the rind back on the napkin and glanced over at Lance. “Okay, first things first. Truth, have you ever slept with a guy before?” Keith asked. Stupid question, obviously, but it was a kind of easy starting point.

 

Lance snorted with laughter. “What do you think?” He asked, pointing at his face. “I’m good at it, too. You should try it sometime. Back at you, though, have you slept with a guy before? Or are you waiting for marriage?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes as he grabbed his forgotten drink. “I’m not waiting for anything. I had a very satisfying sexual relationship with Shiro.” He lied. Shiro had been about as stimulating as a clinical trial. Nothing wrong with it, but it was just… weird. Honestly, it was all Keith had known, so he didn’t know if he could really judge it as weird. It was just without a lot of emotion on Shiro’s part.

 

Regardless, that question was over with. “Okay, all right. Truth, have you ever been in love before?” He raised his brow, smiling at Lance. “I think my answer is clear, so I don’t want you to do the cheap move and piggyback off of my question.”

 

Lance hummed softly, considering that question. “I think I have, but it’s been a load of bullshit. Always putting too much in, never getting anything out. My love life is storied, and the foundations include heartbreak and sadness.” He admitted. “But we’re not delving into that today, I’m afraid.”

 

“Shame, I was ready to hear a sob story today.” Keith answered as he finally picked up the food menu. He casually put in an order for fried pickles--because they were to die for--and a pepper jack burger with jalapenos on the side.

 

Lance raised a brow as he ordered, but said nothing about it. “Mind if we split a meal? I’m not outrageously hungry, and I figured since we have the pickles we won’t be fighting each other for french fries.”

 

“Sure, not at all, let’s go for it.” Keith smiled politely.

 

Lance thought a bit longer about his question. “Okay, so about the relationship you had, can you tell me the truth about the nature of it?” Lance asked hesitantly. “Like, what kind of relationship was it?”

 

Hoo, that was complicated. “You seem to be reaching. Regardless, I’ll tell you. He and I met when I was a teen. He wasn’t necessarily my therapist, he was just a guidance counselor at that point, and he took a shine to me. It was fine back then, and he didn’t do anything inappropriate, so don’t give me that look.” He said, noting Lance’s raised brow. “I got into some trouble, got kicked out of my foster home, and he took me in. He was my guardian until I turned 18, and then we kind of realized we liked each other, a lot, and we started dating, and we moved into a one bedroom apartment… That we’re still in.” He sighed softly. “I just want to be upfront and honest with you, we don’t share a bed, we just share a bedroom.”

 

Lance nodded slowly, calculating that a bit. Keith dared him to comment on it, but the brunette held his tongue. Keith was honestly relieved, because his weird relationship with Shiro had fascinated everyone he had tried to make friends with.

 

“Truth, what have you done to change the world?” Keith asked Lance.

 

“Well, I work for an aquarium, it’s my internship. It’s fantastic, I get to feed the animals, including sharks! No one wants to get into the tanks, so I get into them and feed them.” Lance beamed excitedly. “You should stop by sometime and watch me feed them!” He insisted as he ordered another martini.

 

Keith thought that was an amazing idea. Watching Lance swim, that would be great. Even if Keith didn’t like swimming, it would probably be nice to watch other people swim. Maybe not with sharks, that would worry him, but he might as well watch it when there was someone good with aquatic creatures.. “So, are you like Aquaman?” He asked, smirking at Lance.

 

“I mean, in a way I am. I’m just more amazing than Aquaman in every way.” He boasted. “I think I  _ am  _ part fish.”

 

“I dunno, Jason Momoa.” Keith mused, fanning himself playfully as their food was set in front of them. “He’s pretty hot.” He joked as he leaned over the food. It smelled amazing, and he was really excited to eat it. He immediately picked up a knife and cut it in half, moving a half of it to the extra plate provided. “I think you’re going to regret going on a date with me.”

 

“Absolutely not. This is the most fun on a date I’ve had like, ever.” Lance took a bite of his half of the burger and hummed thoughtfully. “Truth, what are you doing for Christmas?” He inquired hesitantly. His behavior immediately worried Keith, because he was so nervous, like he wanted to ask something important.

 

“Christmas... I’m probably just going to stay home. I don’t have any family, and I don’t have any friends, except Shiro.” He shrugged slowly. Lance immediately gave him a pitying look. “What? No, it’s fine, stop giving me that expression, this is not the time to start giving me looks like that. I’ll be fine.”

 

Lance’s expression melted away, as he seemed to entertain his idea he had. “... Why don’t you come with me to Cuba?”

 

Keith sputtered as he sipped on his drink. “ _ Cuba?? _ You want me to go to  _ Cuba?” _ He was floored by this. “I’m not going to Cuba with an absolute stranger. Why would I go to Cuba with you after our first date? To Cuba?”

 

Lance looked crestfallen. “I wanted you to spend Christmas with a family. I figure you could use some time away from the cold, and you’ll get the perk of  _ Mama _ ’s hugs. She’s the best hugger.” He said with sad smile, voice lilting when he referenced his mom. “I get it though, I am a stranger, after all. It is kind of weird to ask...” Lance stared at his drink like he was personally offended by it.

 

Keith sighed through his nose, taking in the kicked puppy of a man beside him.

 

Keith was going to go to Cuba, wasn’t he?

 

“ _ Fine. _ I’ll go to Cuba, I guess it wouldn’t be too bad, and I can borrow money from Shiro…”

 

“No no, I invited you, it’s my treat.” Lance insisted, taking Keith’s hand in his own. “I’ll buy your ticket, and we’ll go to Cuba and you’ll meet my family!” He looked excited. Keith felt his stomach churn anxiously.

 

“You’re just going to invite a stranger into your mother’s house, after the first date that hasn’t even finished?” Keith inquired hesitantly. There was simply no way he was going to like this. Absolutely not. “I could be a serial killer, that only kills fuckboys like you--”

 

“How  _ dare  _ you, I am not a fuckboy.” Lance looked highly offended by the mere suggestion. “I am an upstanding gentleman--”

 

“That’s even  _ worse!  _ When are you going to start calling me m’lady?”

 

“Woah woah woah, you’re getting carried away!” Lance defended himself. “I am not any of those things! I’m sorry I made a bad first impression on you, but it works sometimes, I just… I wanted you to like me, okay? I wasn’t sure how you would react, so I tried something and it didn’t work. I made a mistake, but to some degree it worked, because we’re here, getting drunk together, right?”

 

Keith fell silent as Lance spoke, considering what he was saying with a calculating expression on his face. “The only thing that saved your ass was how you acted when you realized you were fucking things up. Also, how cute you were saved you. I’m incredibly… attracted to you. You’re really handsome.” Keith admitted quietly as he buried himself in his drink. “Don’t let it go to your head, though. That’s unattractive.”

 

Lance snorted, picking up the burger half and taking a bite. “I’m attractive, but my behavior sucks. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

 

“Precisely.”

 

“You’re a fucking jerk, but I’m the one sitting here with you, so I guess I need to consider who’s the real winner in this situation.” Lance laughed softly as he took another bite, already half done with his meal. “Do you have a ride home?” Lance asked hesitantly. “We’ve been drinking… a lot.”

 

Keith glanced up at the clock, which read 7:38, then back at Lance. “I was just going to drive home.”

 

Lance looked afronted at that confession. “Absolutely not, mister. You need to call your ex for a ride.”

 

“What about you? Didn’t you leave your car at the ice rink?” He shot back.

 

“No, I walked.” He said softly, shrugging.

 

“You  _ walked? _ ” Keith shook his head. “You’re lucky it wasn’t that cold when we rode here, but it’s colder by now, and we’re across town from the rink. I’m assuming you live close to there?”

 

Lance nodded as he finished his burger. “Yeah, close enough. I just had to leave really early… and I got there early.”

 

Keith’s stomach dropped.

 

“You mean, while I was late, you were already sitting there waiting for me?” He asked incredulously. “Why did you wait?”

 

Lance hesitated a moment before responding. “Because I really, really like you.” He said softly. “I really like you, and I wanted to make a good impression by being early, and I knew if I was late, you might… leave, and I would never see you again.”

 

Keith went silent. It was true. He absolutely would have left. He would have abandoned Lance and blocked him. He was kind of a dick for that part of himself, wasn’t he? He could have been the one to screw this up, but Lance was so patient and kind….

 

“Dare.”

 

Lance glanced up from his fries, looking confused. “Come again?”

 

“I dare you to meet me in the bathroom. Pretend it’s our first meeting.” He smirked. “I want to show my  _ gratitude  _ to you.”

 

Lance raised both eyebrows in surprise, a flush crawling up his neck. “Gratitude? What kind of gratitude?” He asked hesitantly. “Also, you’ve been eating jalapenos, so if you’re doing what I think you’re going to do...”

 

“Do you want to come or not?” Keith growled as he stood and walked to the bathroom. The alcohol hit him all at once on his feet, though, and he kind of softly zig zagged to the bathroom. He didn’t see the amused look on Lance’s face.

 

Keith walked into the bathroom, and he quickly glanced at himself in the mirror. He looked like a mess from the alcohol. A huge fucking mess. He didn’t care. He was getting what he wanted. 

 

He stepped into the biggest stall, dirty and not well taken care of, with gray stall walls and a weird pale blue color on the walls. It was a dirty, grimy place, and it stoked Keith’s fire. He could  _ never _ get Shiro to let him blow him in a public bathroom, and Lance--

 

Had just opened the door, and was standing there nervously. Did he not know what to fucking do?

 

Keith peeked out of his stall, and Lance jumped. “Are you coming in?” Keith stage whispered.

 

“I didn’t think you would be into--”

 

“ _ Get in the fucking stall.”  _ He demanded, which made Lance jump.

 

“Coming, coming.” He hummed as he walked into the stall and stared anxiously at Keith. “When you said you wanted to pretend--”

 

“What are you doing in my stall?” Keith asked, shutting the damn door behind Lance and locking it.

 

“Your stall? Keith--”

 

“Stop, full stop. You’re terrible at this.” Keith laughed softly. “Follow my lead, okay? Before you ruin everything.” He moved in front of Lance, taking on a hard approach. His hands found Lance’s hips and he peered up at the Cuban with lidded indigo eyes. He tried again.

 

“What are you doing in my stall? There’s like, two more here. You didn’t need to come into mine. What do you want?”

 

“... I needed someone to help me take care of a problem I’m having.” Lance breathed, eyes wide and looking like he could hardly believe this was happening.

 

Keith smirked at him and leaned forward to kiss at the Cuban’s neck, hands sliding down his chest to fumble with his belt quickly and maybe a little  _ too  _ aggressively.

 

“Are you going to rip my dick off?” Lance yelped quietly, hesitation in his voice. “I don’t want to lose my dick in the process of this.”

 

“I’m  _ not  _ going to injure you. Just  _ relax. _ ” Keith hissed and Lance rolled his eyes, a nervous grin on his face at how impatient the Korean was.

 

Keith sank to his knees and hooked a finger into the waistband of Lance’s boxers, slowly inching them down until Lance’s cock was visible to him. He was… getting hard, but not quite hard enough for Keith’s liking. 

 

Keith gripped Lance’s dick and began stroking it slowly, feeling it swell in his hand. He was smaller than Shiro was, but maybe it was just because he wasn’t all that hard? He wasn’t sure. Either way, he’d know soon, because Lance was obviously getting into this. Glancing up at Lance’s face, Keith was pleased to see those blue eyes were shut, bottom lip pinned between his teeth.

 

Keith stroked his cock, encouraging him with words and kisses to his hip and abdomen. It didn’t take long to get Lance fully hard in his palm and now he was close to 6 inches, maybe a little more. Keith couldn’t help but think that he was fucking  _ beautiful _ . 

 

Keith pushed the tip between his lips, tasting him shyly before pressing it deeper into his mouth. He could feel Lance’s eyes on him the entire damn time, tanned hips twitching and jerking with the effort of restraining himself. It felt a weird sort of pride wash over Keith.  _ He _ had made Lance like this.

 

Keith began bobbing his head, taking more of him in and Lance’s head fell back against the stall door with a thump. He let out quiet moans as Keith stroked the base of his cock that his mouth couldn’t fit. Maybe Lance was just nervous because they were in public? He pressed his cock deeper and closed his eyes, ignoring the way he was beginning to drool. 

 

Keith’s hand moved down to his own pants and unzipped them, freeing himself from the confines of tight black jeans and stroking himself. It felt good to give himself pleasure, but he wanted Lance’s hand around it instead.

 

Lance reached down and threaded his fingers into Keith’s hair, surprisingly into what Keith was doing to him. He, at first, stroked Keith’s hair and encouraged him in Spanish, but then he gripped his head and started thrusting his hips gently. Lance clearly only had so much restraint. Keith knew the feeling well. 

 

Lance continued whispering in multiple languages, encouraging him to take his cock deeper. Keith closed his eyes and let the words settle into his heart, even though he didn’t know what any of it meant. He could have been calling him a dirty slut for all Keith knew, but it was fitting anyways, clearly. He let Lance take his pleasure into his own hands, thrusting into Keith’s mouth until his grip tightened and he went faster.

 

With a low grunt, he came against Keith’s tongue, causing him to gag a bit at the taste. He’d never get used to that. He swallowed it anyways, pulling off of his cock and wiping his face. “Dick.” He growled. “Could have asked.” He kept stroking himself, shuddering as he chased his own release.

 

Lance grabbed him and pulled him to his feet, shoving him back against the opposite wall by his hips.

 

“Don’t you dare touch yourself.” He scolded breathlessly as he kissed Keith, hard and needy.

 

Keith’s back arched as he felt Lance grip his cock and start stroking him firmly. He rocked his hips into the Cuban’s skilled hand, panting softly as he very rapidly approached the tipping point.

 

Lance’s lips were suddenly on his own and Keith let out a muffled cry, spilling into Lance’s hand. Keith’s body sagged against the wall in exhaustion, his eyes dazed and full of stars. When he came down, Keith noticed Lance smiling warmly at him. The smile was out of place, considering what they’d just done and where.

 

“ _ Usted es tan hermoso como esto _ .”

 

“Huh?” Keith said softly, pulling Lance into another kiss. “What does that mean?”

 

“You’re so beautiful like this.” Lance translated when they broke apart again, leaning in to kiss Keith on the cheek before pulling back. “Let’s clean up.” He said softly, pulling their pants up and steering Keith to the sink. Lance cleaned off his hand, and Keith cleaned his face.

 

When they left the bathroom to return to their seats, Shiro was there, and he looked pissed. He stood there with his arms folded and his eyes stormy.

 

“Oh, fuck.” Keith turned white as a sheet when Shiro glared at him. “We’re fucked.”

 

“What do you two think you’re doing?” He asked angrily. “I’m having Adam take your bike home, and you’re both riding with me. I’m not having any of your bullshit tonight.”

 

“You think I’m gonna let your  _ shitty ex _ take my fucking bike anywhere?” Keith snapped, defensive of his baby as he clamored towards the door to get to his bike.

 

“He already left, and you’re coming home. Lance, where do you live?” Shiro asked, not sounding nearly as harsh as when he spoke to Keith.

 

“He’s staying the night, and there’s nothing you can fucking do to stop me.” Keith snapped, dragging Lance outside. “Say that’s okay, Lance.” He whisper-begged him.

 

Lance nervously glanced at Shiro. “I uhhh, yeah. I thought we could maybe hang out together tonight.” He said, not entirely sure himself, but he really didn’t want the night to end on a sour note. “We’ll be good, we won’t drink anymore.”

 

Shiro sighed softly, paying their tab and handing Lance back his card. “You’re both going straight to bed. I have more things to do, but I expect you both to be on your best behavior.” He stood up as he signed the receipt and grabbed them both by the shoulders, pushing them towards the door. “You’re literally not allowed to come back here ever again.” He said to Keith.

 

“Good, I never want to come back!” Keith shouted over his shoulder at the bartender.

 

Lance had to wonder what exactly he had gotten himself into, but nothing prepared him for when a very drunk Keith broke away from Shiro’s grip and literally  _ flopped _ on top of the hood of the car. He sprawled out and let out a high pitched groan, and Shiro audibly sighed from behind Lance. “What do you want, Keith?” He sounded exhausted.

 

“I want ice cream.” He demanded. “GOOD ice cream.”

 

“Absolutely not.” Shiro went to the driver’s side and unlocked the car, climbing into it. Lance wasn’t that good with cars, so he didn’t recognize the kind it was, but it was nice as fuck. “Get off of the car so we can leave.”

 

“Laaaaaaaance take me to get ice cream, DQ is literally across the street.” Keith whined as he wiggled in slow motion on the car. God, he looked pathetic. “I want ice cream!”

 

Lance came up to the front of the car where Keith laid, sidling up between the Korean’s legs. “You’d probably just throw up ice cream right now. Let’s get in the car.” He pulled Keith up by his arms, but alas, he slid onto the pavement, out of Lance’s grasp, and simply laid there.

 

“Lance, forget about him. Get in the car, he’ll follow when you don’t feed into it.” Shiro said, sounding extremely annoyed. 

 

The expression that came over Keith’s face for a split second was pure, unbridled pain, and Lance saw his tears, getting overwhelmingly defensive on Keith’s behalf.

 

He wasn’t going to leave him. It was never even on the table for Lance, he would never entertain such an idea. He bent down and pet Keith gently before picking him up off of the ground, bridal style. Keith didn’t even try to help him, he just went boneless. Lance didn’t mind, carrying him to the back seat and laying him in it. 

 

“You just gotta do the hard stuff sometimes, Shiro.” Lance said as Keith suddenly regained the ability to move and slid into the other passenger seat and buckled up.

 

Keith was absolutely silent on the way home, but about halfway there he reached out across the middle seat, resting his hand between himself and Lance. Lance smiled softly and took the hand, squeezing it lightly.

 

They held hands the whole way home, silent, squeezing each other’s hands gently.

  
  
  


_ Journal Prompt #4: List 30 things that make you smile. _

  
  


Keith settled into bed, with Lance under the sheets with him. Shiro had left, to do who knows what, leaving the duo alone for the time being. This was their first night, after their first date, and they were both so young and dumb and naive. Keith was so damn preoccupied with touching every inch of Lance’s body.

 

He didn’t hide anything from Keith, unlike how Shiro tended to, and he really just… appreciated the hell out of it. His wariness was fading with time, he’d been such a dick at the beginning, and he regretted it. Regretted treating Lance like he was stupid. Because he wasn’t stupid, he was just trying to impress Keith in the wrong way. He laid there with him and listened to him breathe, before he got an idea.

 

“Lance. I want to hear a list of thirty things that make us smile. Game?” He asked.

 

Lance stirred at the sound of Keith’s voice, pushing himself up onto his elbows to peer over at Keith. “Thirty things that make me smile? Hmm.”

 

He thought for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, sure. You go first though.” He said, lying back down and pulling the pillow under his head. He stared up at Keith with sapphires glazed with sleepy intent and a smile on his face.

 

“Fine, I’ll go first, but I want to bounce back and forth.” He said softly, running his hand over his chest. “So let’s go through this.”

 

He sat up a bit too, pressing closer to him. “So, number one, you wearing that goofy pink helmet makes me smile.” He said wickedly. “I like how you look in it.”

 

Lance chuckled, dragging his fingertips over Keith’s back lovingly. “Rainbow Dash is my shit, okay? And real men wear pink anyway.”

 

Lance hummed a little as he thought of the second one. “Your astounding ability to be the sassiest asshole I’ve ever met never fails to make me smile. It’s honestly quite impressive.”

 

Keith huffed a laugh at that, his cheeks dusting a soft pink. “I don’t think anyone has ever called that endearing.” He admitted. “Everyone always thought it was a negative part of me, so hearing that it’s not is kind of nice.”

 

He breathed in a bit. “Number three, I like riding my bike. It gives me such a rush, and I often catch myself smiling while I ride.” He wanted to go ride right then. “... What’s your number four?”

 

Lance grinned. “Four, I like sitting behind you on your bike. For obvious reasons.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Keith and kissed his forehead. “I can feel how much happier you are. Riding your bike and sex are the only two things I’ve found so far that actually relax you.”

 

“I mean, you’re not wrong.” Keith admitted hesitantly. “They are the only two things that relax me.” He shrugged a bit. “I dunno, it’s kind of dumb.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing on with the list.

 

“So uhhh, number five, I think another thing that makes me smile would be ice skating. It’s always something I’ve seen as a pleasure, and I love doing it. Even if it was kind of forced on me.”

 

Lance nodded. “You’re absolutely beautiful when you skate.” He admitted. “Totally fascinating and humbling to watch.” He said.

 

“At least someone watches me skate, because it’s been pretty singular.”

 

Lance sighed gently. “Six...  back at home, I have my cat Blue. She’s a white Persian. The sweetest thing ever. She’s been with me since middle school. I couldn’t bring her here, the flight would have been too hard on her.”

 

Keith reached over and petted his side gently. “I’m sorry about your cat. I’m sure you miss her a lot.”

 

“The seventh thing would be… um... My bass guitars. I like them a lot, and they are everything to me.” He flushed a bit. What a dumb thing. “I bought most of them, and Shiro wasn’t happy about it.”

 

“Shiro doesn’t need to be happy about it. It’s not his money.” Lance hummed, shifting to pull Keith in closer by his waist. He nuzzled into his boyfriend’s neck and yawned sleepily. “I happen to love your guitars. They’re beautiful. As for eight... Rachel snorts when she laughs. It’s fucking adorable and makes me smile every time.” Lance said, grinning.

 

Keith smiled at that, considering his next thing. “Nine, I really like being in the arcade, but not working in it. When I’m off work sometimes I’ll stay for an hour and play games, and it’s really fun. I have a collection of stuffed animals that Shiro makes me keep in the garage, for storage purposes.”

 

Lance’s face morphed into one of genuine offense. “What!?  _ Store _ your stuffies? What the hell kind of-” He scoffed, pouting. “You should display your stuffies. What’s the point of having them then? That’ll be ten. I always smile when I look at my stuffies. All of them were given to me by people I care about. I still sleep with the stuffed shark I got the Christmas before I moved. Because I said I would miss the ocean too much to leave. So my mom bought me a stuffed shark and let me take it to the beach so I could associate it with the ocean. Of course, I didn’t  _ know _ that, I thought my mom was just being nice by letting me take my new best friend to the beach with me.”

 

Keith nodded slowly. “That’s a sweet story. I don’t think I’ve ever heard them called stuffies before, but uh, you do you.” He hummed softly. “Number eleven, I suppose something that makes me smile is being with you. It’s a great thing that came about so spontaneously, and it’s unlike all of my other personal relationships. I really like it, even though it’s really only starting.” He flushed softly, smiling at Lance.

 

Lance’s eyes went wide and Keith was  _ pretty _ sure he was blushing. “I- wow. You make me smile too. You’re just so unique. I never know what you’ll say next, and I love it. Our relationship may have just started, but I feel like I’ve known you forever. Like I could tell you anything.”

 

He nuzzled closer to Keith, kissing his jaw sweetly. “Things that make me smile… Oh, twelve. Garlic knots, for sure. Holy  _ fuck _ I could eat them forever.”

 

“Garlic knots are really good. Pizza rolls are better.” Before Lance could protest, Keith continued. “The thirteenth thing that makes me smile is cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Holy shit, their pumpkin cheesecake is good, and salted caramel… oh god.” He laughed softly. “Maybe that makes me fat, but when Shiro travels, he brings me back cheesecake.”

 

Lance chuckled. “I’ve never been. I’m more of a brownie person myself. Ooo- I should tell Hunk to make me some pot brownies. He’s  _ so _ good at it, it’s scary. Shame he doesn’t indulge himself. Also? You’re not fat.” He sighed gently. “Um, oh, the first high of the day is pretty great. It’s always more intense. I’ll make that my fourteen.”

 

“God, that sounds delicious.” He said with a grin. “So you smoke? That’s kind of cool, Shiro sometimes let me do that.” He shrugged. “Just sometimes.”

 

He thought about his next point, considering it quietly. “Fifteen, probably Shiro. He’s been really great to me, and he takes care of me. He used to be a doctor in the military, but he left the military and became a guidance counselor, and then we met, and he became a private doctor that deals with people on a case by case basis. I don’t really know the extent of what he does, we don’t talk about it.”

 

Lance nodded sagely. “Sounds… kinda sketchy, but I won’t ask I guess. He was your guidance counselor? Like, at school? You moved in with your guidance counselor?” He was definitely more bewildered than anything else. “Alright, no judgement here. That’s just… not what I was expecting. Your whole relationship suddenly makes a lot of sense.”

 

“I told you about my relationship with Shiro, don’t pretend you were unaware of it.” Keith said jokingly. “I just told you about it a couple of hours ago.”

 

“Yeah, but like, I didn’t  _ process _ it. I was pretty tipsy okay?” Keith rolled his eyes at him but Lance continued regardless. “As for my next thing… Waking up first in the morning. I love it. Sitting by the window, cup of coffee and a freshly loaded bowl. Some chill indie music, ahh yeah.” Lance smiled and sighed contentedly at the thought.

 

Keith snorted. “You took weed, now you're taking early mornings. You're such an asshole.” He joked, moving to snuggle him gently. “I think you should reconsider, but then again I hate mornings. My shit is 2am, drunk, too drunk to fuck, laying in bed and talking to the person you love. Much like we're doing.” He smiled happily. “This makes me so happy. So it's number seventeen.”

 

Lance grinned cheekily. “I’m an early bird and you’re a night owl. We complete each otherrr-” He grinned. He kissed at Keith’s shoulder. “God, you’re so cheesy. Anyway. Eighteen… My Mama’s hugs. She gives  _ the _ best hugs.”

 

“I wish I could get one of those hugs.” Keith said softly. “I don't think I ever will, though.” He shrugged softly. “I dunno, maybe I can.” He huffed a soft sigh before launching into the net number. “Nineteen, I think a good smile involves those tequila shots we had.” He giggled softly. “Tequila is great and I love it.”

 

“Tequila, huh? Damn, I’m excited to drink with you back home. Tequila is my language, baby.” He grinned. “Also, my mom will give you a hug on first sight, if or uh…  _ when _ you meet her.” He grinned bashfully. Lance cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh. Twenty… it might make me more of a hipster, but I really like photography. I haven’t used my analog in ages, though. Maybe I’ll have to dig it out again…”

 

“You have an analog? That's really cool, actually. The last time Shiro let me use any kind of camera, I took a picture of his armpit, and I laughed for three hours about it. I don't get to use cameras anymore.” He shrugged, smiling at Lance.

 

“His armpit? What…” Lance shook his head and chuckled. “That's a new one. I'll let you take pictures with my camera if I can find it over Christmas.”

 

“As far as number twenty-one, I would say… probably realizing that I'm actually safe now, that's a reason to smile. I'm not bouncing from orphanage to boarding school to foster home anymore. That's such a relief.” Keith smiled sadly. “I was so exhausted from dealing with them when Shiro picked me up.”

 

Lance looked up at his sad smile. “I can only imagine.” He cupped Keith's cheek and kissed him gently. “... Twenty-two, music always makes me smile. It's all so beautiful. Even the sad songs. People poured their heart into writing their feelings down as lyrics.” He said softly.

 

“Music is great, I love it, but I don't get to make it much because Shiro rarely jams with me.” he shrugged a bit. 

 

“What! I’ll jam with you whenever. I play acoustic and electric.”

 

Keith looked at him with interest before smiling. “I’d like that.”

 

Keith turned his gaze to the ceiling, sighing a little. He felt Lance’s fingers run up and down his arm. “The next thing to make me smile would be… I dunno, twenty-three, it would be getting Korean BBQ. It's delicious, but expensive, and I just feel like I'm closer to understand myself eating it. I know that sounds extra weird, but it's true.”

 

Lance hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t think I’ve had Korean barbecue before. Is it spicy? I can only handle mild spice. Also, that’s not weird. Especially if you don’t know a whole lot about your history.”

 

“It’s kind of spicy. Depends on who makes it, really, but I like spice.”

 

“My siblings would make fun of me for complaining about the spicier foods Mama would make. She sometimes made me a separate plate with less chili powder.”

 

Keith laughed softly and he felt Lance do the same beside him.

 

“Twenty-four… You. You just make me smile.” Lance felt his cheeks color and he rolled on top of Keith, lazily resting his head on the Korean’s chest.

 

“Me?” Keith asked, pointing at his chest. “I'm flattered.” He joked as he gently ran his fingers through the chocolate waves. “I can't believe you would pick me, though. I'm kind of not the best person, I haven't done much growing as a person these years with Shiro. I’ve been getting help, sure, but not learning about how to survive on my own.”

 

“Well, I’m happy to help you figure it out. It’s fucking hard to be independent. But I do think that you should definitely start yourself down that road.” Keith felt Lance shiver with the touches to his hair. “Disclaimer, if you continue to pet my hair, I cannot promise I won’t pass the fuck out.” He mumbled into Keith’s neck.

 

Keith laughed softly, petting him anyways. “I like petting you. We're almost done anyways.” He thought about the next point carefully. “Twenty-five, watching you skate is really funny. I honestly thought you'd bust your ass.”

 

“Mmm… I can’t believe I didn’t.” Lance sighed softly against Keith’s neck. “It’s not like I know how to skate. My nephew Sylvio can probably skate circles around me. He can’t beat me on a skate or a surfboard, though, so there’s that. Mmm… twenty-six, I like meditating. I used to be super into yoga in high school. Maybe I should get back into that, my muscles were super loose back then.”

 

Keith wrinkled his nose. “Yoga? Yoga's dumb, Shiro used to make me get up with him to do it and meditate but he didn't think my music choice was harmonious.” he shrugged. “I don't really care though. Music like that helps me relax.”

 

“Shiro does yoga? Why does that surprise me…”

 

“Because he’s so tense.”

 

Lance clicked his tongue in agreement and snuggled even further into Keith’s chest.

 

Keith thought for a moment on his next point. “Twenty-seven, going on dates makes me smile. I like doing just dumb stuff all of the time, and dates are dumb but they are the best. I love them to death.”

 

“Really? Me too. I’m a hopeless romantic, so expect lots of corny dates.” Lance murmured, eyes closed. He was rapidly losing his consciousness, much to the amusement of Keith. “I loved going skating with you. That date was amazing. Even though you were pretty much the one taking me on the date. Which took me by surprise, by the way.” He said, chest shaking against Keith’s with his laugh.

 

The Korean laughed softly with him. “I suggested skating because I wanted to absolutely dominate you on the ice and show you who was on top.” He snorted with laughter. “Oh well, I'll be better at some things, you'll be better at some things, it'll be great.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Of course you did. I’m going to stop by the arcade and challenge you to DDR.” He snorted. “You’ll never dethrone the king. Also- I bet I can outshoot you on the aiming games too.”

 

“King? Please.” He joked, smirking at Lance. “I’ll show you.” He smirked at Lance as they settled in to sleep. “Also, it’s your turn. Give me twenty-eight or give me death.”

 

Lance hummed gently, Keith smiling as he watched him think through his sleepy haze. “Twenty-eight… A clean bedroom always makes me smile. I like my shit neat and tidy, thank you. My Mama raised me well.” He chuckled.

 

“Clean room? That’s some dumb shit. I’m a bit of a slob, Shiro just makes me clean up.” He huffed softly. “I think I should never have to pick my clothes off of the floor.” Keith stroked down Lance’s spine, knowing he was probably pretty touch starved. “My twenty-nine would be, I dunno. Maybe just sex. I like sex, but it never felt like Shiro cared about it at all, it was just to make me happy. So I hope we get to do some stuff.” He shrugged.

 

Lance pouted a little, shivering at Keith's touch. “That's… really sad. I've always thought sex was really meaningful. It's the most intimate you can be with somebody. That's really sad. I'll  _ always _ try and show you how wanted you are.” He promised quietly.

 

Keith smiled gently at him as a response, waiting for Lance to finish out their little game.

 

“Thirty… my first cup of coffee in the morning. I said I liked mornings earlier, is that cheating?” The Cuban laughed.

 

“That’s totally cheating and I’m already in the process of suing you.” Keith smirked at him. “I’ll let it slide, though. We’ll settle it in court like men.” He reached up and stroked Lance’s cheek gently. “Sleep tight.” He whispered softly.

 

Lance sighed softly, a content smile on his face. “... I'm so glad I went up to you.” He muttered, loving the feeling of affectionate hands on him. He shut his eyes and melted into his Keith, pulling the covers up over them both.

 

Keith settled in a bit and relaxed, still stroking Lance’s hair gently. “... I’m glad too.” He whispered softly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight.”


End file.
